B&W’s earlier Companion model had an18,000-pound towing capacity and had gained a solid reputation within the RV community for its ease of installation, robust design, smooth ride and, most of all, its low noise characteristics. The original Companion hitch has remained virtually unaltered since its inception in 1998. The new 20,000-pound rated Companion fifth wheel trailer hitch has all the features that RV owners and dealers favored in its predecessor and then some.

“The combination of product quality and reliability, along with B&W’s reputation among customers, have made the B&W Companion fifth wheel hitch our most popular,” Don Collins, president, DC’s RV Centers, said. “With its 20,000-pound towing capacity, enhanced height adjustment and flexible installation design, we anticipate that the new Companion will be even more commercially successful than its forerunner.”

B&W’s new Companion fifth wheel aftermarket trailer hitch is designed for today’s trucks and trailers and for tomorrow’s as well. RV trailers are becoming bigger and heavier, and the towing capacities of the pickup trucks that haul them have continued to increase. The new Companion hitch features two adjustable pivot arms that can be oriented horizontally, relative to the truck’s axle, and vertically to allow trailers to clear the taller truck bed walls now on many late-model pickups. The new hitch also features adjustable plastic feet that allow the hitch to adapt and mount snugly to an ever-increasing variety of truck bed corrugation patterns.

The entire system is made of top-quality American steel and is finished top to bottom with a tough, durable powder coating. Once installed, the substructure leaves the truck bed totally unobstructed. The substructure’s socket accommodates any of seven different Turnoverball-style hitches, including the RVB3500 Companion. A smart, solid foundation has allowed B&W to build the industry’s best performing fifth wheel trailer hitch on top.

The single-post hitch base drops easily into the socket and, once married to the substructure uses adaptable leveling feet for stabilization and bolts to lock it securely into position. Pivot arms are also fully adjustable with a height range of 16 1/4 inches to 18 1/4 inches. The arms feature thick polyurethane bushings that allow the locked coupler head to pivot effortlessly, and the coupler head itself is fitted with a hydraulic dampening mechanism that absorbs road shock and tilts up to seven degrees. The whole hitch system operates so smoothly and quietly that drivers and passengers sometimes have the sensation that there is no trailer being towed.

“Our new 20,000-pound rated Companion hitch is a response to recent trends in the structure and shape of truck beds, along with the increasing lengths and weights of trailers,” Cleat Stockebrand, product design engineer for B&W Trailer Hitches, said. “The new Companion hitch base takes advantage of the structural features of late model truck beds, optimizing the capacity of the hitch and giving customers the needed adjustments to accommodate their towing needs.”

The new Companion fifth wheel aftermarket trailer hitch makes unhitching the trailer easier as well. The hitch features massive one-inch-thick cast locking jaws that have set a new industry standard by being twice as hefty as traditional mechanisms. The jaw’s robust cam-lock design allows any operator to uncouple a trailer even when parked on significantly uneven terrain.

The RVB3500 Companion fifth wheel aftermarket trailer hitch fits virtually any pickup truck make and model, including any 2013 RAM 3500, without a factory-installed hitch prep package. The product has been extensively tested and meets or exceeds the J2638 standard for a 20,000-pound vehicle tow rating (VTR). As with any towing scenario, B&W strongly recommends that users never exceed a VTR.

B&W Trailer Hitches specializes in designing and engineering trailer hitches and aftermarket truck/trailer accessories, and has a proud reputation as a U.S.-based manufacturer and innovator. The company’s workforce makes all of its products entirely in Humboldt, Kan.